Cycle For Survival

Cycle for Survival

So Friday I couldn’t shake the thoughts of the 50-year anniversary of a tragedy. In fact, this morning I was over to the Laemmle in Pasadena seeing “JFK: A President Betrayed.”

Hate to admit it, but I was already in the Tenth Grade and in English class the moment I learned the President, my hero, had been assassinated. And yeah, I guess I really am an old guy because I just did finish shedding a tear or two like I do every time I revisit November 22, 1963.

But something happened yesterday that also served as a reminder on several levels. Saturday mornings mean spin class at Equinox Fitness in Pasadena. And thinking back some 50 years I was reminded of yet another gift my parents gave that keeps on giving.

Thanks to my Dad’s coaching and my Mom’s encouragement and not-so-easily equaled energy, I was practically exercising out of the womb, let alone by my high school sophomore year. And up until this last more stressful than usual year, there weren’t more than a handful of days I’d missed running, jumping, hiking, or pedaling; often carrying a ball, a bat, a racket, or a club.

One of the really cool things about coming of age during the “Stand by Me” years was my being impressionable at exactly the right time in history. At an age when you could still think anything was possible, the country had a smart, young and handsome leader who flat-out told you anything was possible. I believed him. No wonder every morning going down Las Tunas, one of the easiest things I ever do is give thanks for an amazing childhood.

These days, it seems life in the U.S. is too often more about what we can’t do. And it’s easy to get sucked into a cynical sense of resignation on facing up to the challenges life inevitably brings our way. Sometimes, if you’re lucky enough, you can draw on memories or a movie, or even a spin class when a splash of cold water or a mirror isn’t doing the job it should. That’s what happened with me this weekend.

I LOVE going to the gym. For me, exercise is a link to great memories and lessons; it’s also a non-prescription drug I need for my physical and emotional health. And for me, it’s more than just putting my time in; it’s about engaging an entire community that happens to speak the same dialect. And the Saturday morning community is one of my favorites.

Yesterday morning, we spun for a cause…and I’m a sucker for causes.

One of my favorite JFK quotes is “One person can make a difference and everyone should try.” In October of 1962, one person in the Oval Office made a difference, stood up to an entitled powerful military and that’s why we woke up this morning and heard birds chirping.

In 2007, Jennifer and David Linn founded Cycle for Survival by raising funds during an Equinox spin class in New York City. Cycle for Survival became an official Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) event in 2009.

MSKCC is the leading center for research and care of rare cancers in the U.S. “Rare cancers” is misleading since those diseases comprise more than 50% of diagnosed cancer but fewer than 200,000 for each specific cancer per year. Brain, lymphatic, thyroid, and stomach cancers qualify; so do lymphoma, leukemia, and oral cancer.

Jennifer was diagnosed with sarcoma in 2004; she passed away in 2011. To date, Cycle for Survival has raised more than $31 million.

And it all started because one person had an idea, spoke up, and didn’t bother thinking about what she couldn’t do.

In 1962, opening the lines of communication created an opportunity for possibility and arguably saved the world; in 2007, one person took the initiative to do the same…and save lives into the future…with each one of them having the potential to make a difference. 

I don’t think I’ve ever generated an endorphin in spin class. Maybe it’s the Techno that gets in the way or more likely, me having to watch my own image “spin” in a mirror. But thinking about the bravery of one person and the impact generated got to me emotionally…and I guarantee you THAT never happened before in a spin class.

Please check out www.cycleforsurvival.org.